This stew of mildly seasoned staples like barley, potatoes and carrots in a tomato-beef broth hits the spot on cold days.
Ingredients
| 2 lbs. meaty beef soup bones, beef shanks or short ribs | 6 c. water |
| 5 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed | 5 med. carrots, chopped |
| 1 med. onion, chopped | ½ c. med. pearl barley |
| 1 can plum tomatoes, undrained | 1 to 1 ½ tsp. salt |
| ½ tsp. pepper | 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional) |
| 1 bay leaf (optional) | 3 Tbsp. cornstarch |
| ½ c. cold water |
Preparation
1. Place soup bones and water in a soup kettle or Dutch oven, and slowly bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.
3. Set bones aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and return meat to broth.
5. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, barley, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic cloves and bay leaf if desired.
6. Cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Discard bay leaf.
7. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into stew.
8. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serves 10
